Public Policy – IT’S A NEW LEGISLATIVE SEASON—GET READY TO TAKE ACTION!
Submitted by Laurie Jacobs, Public Policy Officer

Happy New Year! The start of a new year is exciting for lots of reasons. The holidays are over, and we can focus on our plans for the New Year. January is the beginning of a new legislative season, and it is a busy time for our Public Policy Committee at AAUW-CA. There will be opportunities in the coming months for us to get involved in what is going on at the state level:

In January and February, the Public Policy Committee at State will be hard at work evaluating new bills for our 2024 Legislative Agenda. The committee, in collaboration with our legislative advocate and coalition partners, will select and analyze proposed state-level legislation that reflects AAUW California’s Mission and Public Policy Priorities. As the committee is working through the legislative review process in January and February, branch members are invited to reach out to the committee and let them know of any proposed California legislation that you think the committee should review. At the end of the review period, in early March, the committee will select 30 bills to prioritize. You will be able to review and follow these bills via the online bill tracker, which will be updated in mid-March. These bills will be the basis for AAUW’s ongoing education and advocacy work throughout 2024. An important part of this advocacy work includes Lobby Days, Public Policy Committee’s annual event at which three of the 30 priority bills are pitched by YOU, the members, in pre-arranged visits with legislators in person or online.

Lobby Days will be held largely virtually on April 2 and 3, 2024. Be sure to register by February 15, 2024 in order to participate. The registration form was emailed to all members on January 12th, but it is also available HERE. All AAUW California members are encouraged to reach out to suggest legislation and participate in Lobby Days as your efforts are essential for the achievement of our legislative priorities: to promote gender equity and improve the lives of women and girls.

Action Item #1: Please reach out if you have suggestions for priority legislation! And be sure to register for Lobby Days.
Action Item #2: Sign up for Legislative Action Alerts HERE! Share the sign-up link with anyone you think may be interested. AAUW members and non-members are welcome.